The Big Four Grammy Awards (also known as the General Field) are four Grammy Awards presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences which go to musical acts and works which are not restricted by genre or another criterion.
Unlike the other Grammy Awards, the nomination and voting process for the Big Four are open to all Academy voting members. They are the most prestigious and important awards at the ceremony.
The Big Four comprise:
Year [I] | Award | Work | Artist(s)/Song Writers |
---|---|---|---|
1959 [1] | Album | The Music from Peter Gunn | Henry Mancini |
Record | "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" | Domenico Modugno | |
Song | "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" | Domenico Modugno | |
Year [I] | Award | Work | Artist(s) | Production Team/Song Writers | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 [63] | Album | When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? | Billie Eilish | Finneas O'Connell, producer; Rob Kinelski & Finneas O'Connell, engineers/mixers; Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters; John Greenham, mastering engineer | |
Record | "Bad Guy" | Billie Eilish | Finneas O'Connell, producer; Rob Kinelski & Finneas O'Connell, engineers/mixers; John Greenham, mastering engineer | ||
Song | "Bad Guy" | Billie Eilish | Billie Eilish O'Connell Finneas O'Connell | ||
Best New Artist | Billie Eilish | ||||
2021 [64] | Album | Folklore | Taylor Swift | Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner & Taylor Swift, producers; Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, Serban Ghenea, John Hanes, Jonathan Low & Laura Sisk, engineers/mixers; Aaron Dessner & Taylor Swift, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer | |
Record | "Everything I Wanted" | Billie Eilish | Finneas O'Connell, producer; Rob Kinelski & Finneas O'Connell, engineers/mixers; John Greenham, mastering engineer | ||
Song | "I Can't Breathe" | H.E.R | D'Mile, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas | ||
Best New Artist | Megan Thee Stallion | ||||
2022 [65] | Album | We Are | Jon Batiste | Craig Adams, David Gauthier, Braedon Gautier, Brennon Gautier, Gospel Soul Children Choir, Hot 8 Brass Band, PJ Morton, Autumn Rowe, Zadie Smith, St. Augustine High School Marching 100 and Trombone Shorty, featured artists; Jon Batiste, Mikey Freedom Hart, King Garbage, Kizzo, Sunny Levine, Nate Mercereau, David Pimentel, Ricky Reed, Autumn Rowe, Jahaan Sweet and Nick Waterhouse, producers; Batiste, Russ Elevado, Mischa Kachkachishvili, Kizzo, Joseph Lorge, Manny Marroquin, Pimentel, Reed, Jaclyn Sanchez, Matt Vertere, Marc Whitmore and Alex Williams, engineers/mixers; Andrae Alexander, Troy Andrews, Batiste, Zach Cooper, Vic Dimotsis, Eric Frederic, Kizzo, Levine, Steve McEwan, Morton, Rowe and Mavis Staples, songwriters; Emerson Mancini, mastering engineer | |
Record | "Leave the Door Open" | Silk Sonic | Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II and Bruno Mars, producers; Serban Ghenea, John Hanes and Charles Moniz, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer | ||
Song | "Leave the Door Open" | Silk Sonic | Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II and Bruno Mars | ||
Best New Artist | Olivia Rodrigo | ||||
2023 [66] | Album | Harry's House | Harry Styles | Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon and Sammy Witte, producers; Jeremy Hatcher, Oli Jacobs, Nick Lobel, Spike Stent and Sammy Witte, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Tobias Jesso Jr., Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon, Mitch Rowland, Harry Styles and Sammy Witte, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer | |
Record | "About Damn Time" | Lizzo | Ricky Reed and Blake Slatkin, producers; Patrick Kehrier, Bill Malina and Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Emerson Mancini, mastering engineer | ||
Song | "Just Like That" | Bonnie Raitt | |||
Best New Artist | Samara Joy | ||||
2024 [67] | Album | Midnights | Taylor Swift | Jack Antonoff & Taylor Swift, producers; Jack Antonoff, Zem Audu, Serban Ghenea, David Hart, Mikey Freedom Hart, Sean Hutchinson, Ken Lewis, Michael Riddleberger, Laura Sisk & Evan Smith, engineers/mixers; Jack Antonoff & Taylor Swift, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer | |
Record | "Flowers" | Miley Cyrus | Kid Harpoon & Tyler Johnson, producers; Michael Pollack, Brian Rajaratnam & Mark "Spike" Stent, engineers/mixers; Joe LaPorta, mastering engineer | ||
Song | "What Was I Made For?" | Billie Eilish | Billie Eilish O'Connell Finneas O'Connell | ||
Best New Artist | Victoria Monet | ||||
The Grammy Award for Song of the Year is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. The Song of the Year award is one of the four most prestigious categories at the awards, presented annually since the 1st Grammy Awards in 1959. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide, the award is presented:
to honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position.
The Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement in comedy." The award was awarded yearly from 1959 to 1993 and then from 2004 to present day.
The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to sales or chart position." The Record of the Year award is one of the four "General Field" categories at the awards presented annually since the 1st Annual Grammy Awards in 1959.
For commercially released singles or tracks of new vocal or instrumental recordings. Tracks from a previous year's album may be entered provided the track was not entered the previous year and provided the album did not win a Grammy. Award to the artist(s), producer(s), recording engineer(s) and/or mixer(s) if other than the artist.
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an award presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales, chart position, or critical reception." Commonly known as "The Big Award", Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammy Awards, and is one of the four general field categories alongside Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year that have been presented annually since the 1st Annual Grammy Awards in 1959.
The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position". In 2023, it was joined by a companion category, Best Alternative Music Performance.
The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works in the reggae music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
The Grammy Award for Best Country Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the country music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011.
The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media is the Grammy Awards awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media.
The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the dance music and/or electronic music genres. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
The Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album has been awarded since 1959. The award has had several minor name changes:
The Grammy Award for Best Music Video is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality instrumental albums in the pop music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by The Recording Academy of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album is an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards — a ceremony that was established in 1958 — honor quality dance and electronica albums in any given year. The award was first presented at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards in 2005 as an complement to the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording, which had been presented as the sole award for dance music since 1998.
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guides, the Best Pop Solo Performance Award as being designed for a solo performance pop recording and is limited to singles or tracks only.
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 63rd Grammy Awards category rules, "this category recognizes artistic excellence in a duo, group, or collaborative vocal or instrumental pop performance. Recordings on which a group receives artist billing are eligible here, even when the vocal features only one member of the group. The entire group or collaborative performance, rather than the presence of a lead vocal performance, determines category eligibility".
The Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. It was first awarded in 2012, after a major overhaul of Grammy Award categories. The award combines the previous categories for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Best Country Collaboration with Vocals and Best Country Instrumental Performance. The restructuring of these categories was a result of the Recording Academy's wish to decrease the list of categories and awards.